


Once There Was

by mae7ari



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crosstale | XTale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underverse (Undertale), Character Death, Errortale Sans (Undertale), Errortale Sans/Inktale Sans (Undertale), Inktale Sans (Undertale), M/M, Major Character Undeath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28181592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mae7ari/pseuds/mae7ari
Summary: "There was once a Creator named Ink. No, he was not a true Creator, as he did not truly create AU's. He was more of a... Protector.As for me? I used to be known as something... different. You may know me now as the Creator of all of you. But back then?I was known as the Destroyer," he said."... Error? Is that really you?" said a small voice in the crowd. Everyone shuffled, and eventually the figure of the person who spoke was shown.It was...(Note: not all of this story is canon-compliant.){Created: December 19th, 2020}{Finished: December 29th, 2020}
Relationships: Sans/Sans (Undertale), W. D. Gaster/Sans
Comments: 32
Kudos: 90





	1. Chapter 1 - End of a Beginning

What started out as a game from a psychopathic Creator and a Protector with a child for a mind ended up becoming a catastrophe, and everyone in the Multiverse was caught inside. 

"Stupid inkstain," I mutter, finishing off the poor creatures who were suffering through the XEvent. He helped this happen, but not because he was evil, but because he was so absentminded and vile and childish. He relied on YOU far too much.

"'Who cares about the worthless extras that only exist as garbage to the true world,' pfft. Guess I'm garbage too, but I already knew that, so how could I blame you for thinking the same, Ink?"

Tears threatened to erupt from my eyesockets as I pondered. Did he ever really care about anything he helped create? I doubt it. Otherwise he would've never joined his game.

Error messages surrounded me slowly, multiplying as I shook and slowly cried. 

Why would he do this? Did he hate everyone that much, or did he not even hate? ... did he want to get rid of me?

Slowly, I grew aware of the tap-tap-tapping of footsteps behind me. I forced down my emotions, got rid of the error messages, and wiped my tears away. 

I finally realized where I was. The Doodlesphere. Long since abandoned and not held down by a lock anymore, I often visited this place to feel comforted. 

Now? It was a huge, almost fully desaturated mess. It barely looked like Ink's former home. 

Suddenly, I grew aware of the footsteps again. I turned around. 

My eyelights widened as I recognized the two figures. Ink and him. The people who ruined this multiverse. Funnily enough, he was more of a threat to the multiverse than I ever could be. I purely destroyed to keep the balance of Creation and Destruction perfect. 

Him? He destroyed for a game. He destroyed out of boredom. 

He was the real threat. I never was. 

"Hello, Slate and XGaster," I spit out at the two. I used to call Ink "Slate" for fun whenever he ran out of his emotions. It started out as an inside joke between us, and now I just call him that out of spite. 

I hate him, Ink. He was a marionette under his control, and he either didn't care or he didn't notice. I truly despise him, but I know it isn't his fault, not completely. 

Ink smirked. "Hello, Windows Vista. What brings you to these parts?" I felt my body go ice cold the moment he said that nickname. It reminded me of...

"Never call me that again," I mutter just loud enough so they could hear me. "Hmm, I don't think I will, Glasses. It entertains me, seeing you in nostalgic grief."

I suddenly felt nothing. No emotions, no headache, no pain. Only emptiness. And that's when I grinned. 

"Hahaha! You think I feel upset over your stupid decisions and your actions?! You're dumber than I thought, emotionless squid," I snap. 

I raise my hand, drawing strings from my eyesocket, making them tie around Ink tightly as I summoned a glitchy bone. 

"Now, what do we have here? A soulless bastard who's about to-"

"Get him," Ink whispers in WingDings. 

I pause, dropping the bone. Fuck. 

[Overwrite.]

Suddenly, I was the one tied up. I grimace. Of course they'd do that. 

Ink smirks. "You really forgot about XGaster, didn't you, Glitch Bitch?"

I don't care anymore. Just end me. 

"..."

"Aw, that's no fun. C'mon, say something. Say how much you hate me and want me dead. Say how much you despise me. Say how much you want Ink back. Say how much you want me to become the aloof artist again."

The strings dig deeper into my bones the more he speaks. I'm used to pain. What makes him think I'm suffering from anything physical?

But he was right about one thing he's said before. 

I care about him too much. 

I liked him too much, for a Destroyer to like a Creator is one of the things I've always said that I hated. 

"It'll never happen, because I hate you too much," I used to tell him while angry. Then he'd disappear for a while, and come back a week later and pretend that everything was fine. 

Funny how now our roles are reversed. I'm supposed to hate him but I don't, and he's supposed to like me but he hates me. 

He was also right about another thing. 

I suffer emotionally easier than physically. 

I finally am aware of the dead silence. They're waiting for me to give in. They're waiting for me to break down. 

"..."

"C'mon, Error. Don't you want Ink back?" Ink says, slightly irritated. 

"Who says that I miss him?" I say tiredly.

Just end my existence already. I know you'll try it. 

"I know because it's in your eyes whenever we speak. 'I just wish he wasn't like this anymore.' Correct?"

I sigh. 

"..."

"Error. I know you want him back. The thing is...

He'll never return."

I suddenly feel sadness creep into my soul as he says that. He'll never return, huh? 

Ink smirks. "There you go. That's what I wanted - sadness. See, that was just a persona. I never was like that. That's why he'll never return. Because that version of me? He's dead."

My breathing hitches, and my head slowly lowers. "I hate you," I say lowly. 

But we both know that I'm lying. 

"Enough toying around. I came here to erase you from existence like the rest of those... glitches. Haha, glitches. Funny thing is, you're the biggest one, my rival."

My rival. Why does that make my soul flutter, but also make me feel worse? Odd. 

"... you kept me for last, didn't you, Slate? We're the only beings left in this multiverse. That's why you're stalling. Because I know that you don't truly want to-"

"Shut up," Ink says lowly. "You don't know how happy I am to finally get rid of you, stupid error."

I smile. Does he truly think that, or has he been manipulated to think that? Who knows. 

But I'll finally be able to take a damn break. 

"Goodbye," Ink says cheerfully. 

... and of course, Ink is an unpredictable bastard, because he suddenly kills him instead of me. What just happened?

"... what the hell, Slate?" I say, watching him turn into a puddle of goop. Ink smiles, trembling slightly. "Sorry about the past who-knows-how-many years. I had to cooperate or he would've not only killed me, but he would've tortured everyone that I care about. I-I'm sorry."

I blink. This was... all because of him? Everything... everyone...

Suddenly, Ink collapses, gritting his teeth. "I'm finally dying... he tied his life to mine."

I freeze, tears rising to my eyesockets again. "You're... dying? Aren't you an outcode...?"

Ink does a half smirk, showing his soul. Wait, his soul?! 

I look at it. It's a broken, half soul of purple, cracking. "He... gave this to me as a gift... the other half was his... he said that...-"

Ink hacks up ink, "his" soul cracking more. "I-I'm so... sorry... I never wanted to... kill Cross... or... anyone... I never wanted to-"

Ink curls into himself, ink spilling from his mouth as he coughs. I sit down, forgoing my haphephobia to comfort him in his last moments as I cry. "It's okay, inkstain... I forgive you... I'm sorry for always saying that I hate you. I don't."

Ink smiles slightly, the soul almost completely cracked. "You... don't hate me...? I... thank... thank you..."

And then the soul shattered. 

Ink morphed into a puddle of ink, the Doodlesphere finally going completely gray. 

And then there was one. Me. The only remaining being in existence. 

I finally realized what I felt. 

Every single time I thought about Ink, I felt something. It started from hatred, morphed into a form of friendliness, morphed into something inexplicable, then to a mild form of hatred. 

The funniest part about it all is that I finally realized it when he died. 

I love him. I have almost always loved him. 

And then I started sobbing.


	2. Chapter 2 - Different Perspective

My hands shook slightly. "... changing everything? I dunno, I... I don't think that's okay, my friend..."

XGaster just smiles. "It won't break your truce you made with... that person. I just want to find the best for them. My children. Please understand... I have always dreamed of creating something like this, and thanks to you, I got the perseverance I needed. I am positive both of us will have fun with this game. We can play anytime, anywhere. It will be the best thing you've ever seen."

My hands shook more, curling over my vials. "I... I'll think about it. Okay? For now... I want to go home."

[Overwrite.]

My head felt slightly foggy. I feel like I'm forgetting something...

"Okay! I'll join your game, don't you worry!" I say cheerfully. Inside, I knew I was making a mistake. This was not right. I was a Star Sans, I do not harm others.

"Hey, XGaster, my friend?" I ask. He hums, listening to me. "I'm not completely sure if I should do this, to be honest. I mean, it seems... wrong. It's a great idea, don't get me wrong!! But... I dunno, it gives me a feeling of dread..."

"Do you not want to join me in my game?" XGaster asks.

"... I don't think I want to," I admit, my hands trembling.

The world turns black, both of us white silhouettes. XGaster smirks. "Listen up, Ink. I'll only say this once. If you don't join my game, I will hurt you and the ones you love. I will not hold back, and I will not offer mercy. Is that clear?"

My breathing hitches, my thoughts flickering immediately to Error and the Star Sanses. Then the entire multiverse. "... everyone I love? Isn't that a bit... twisted?"

XGaster grins. "The one you made that truce with... Error, correct? What, do you have a crush on him-?" "I do not feel love, romantically or platonically," I say, immediately cutting him off. "Love is a foreign concept to me. Nothing will change that."

"Oh, really? Too bad, my artist," the vile Creator says, stepping closer to me. My survival instincts kick in, and I step backwards. "Don't try anything," I snap.

He smirks, putting his hands on my shoulders. I shudder, looking at him with hatred. "You'll regret not willingly joining my game," he whispers, digging his fingers into my shoulders. A small whimper of pain creeps out of my mouth, and I try to get out of his grasp.

"Leave me alone," I plead, wishing that Error could save me from this creep.

-

Ever since I had to join his game, he's been making me turn into a villain.

I wish I could tell Error the truth. I never wanted to do this, I sob in my mind.

-

"Who cares about the worthless extras that only exist as garbage to the true world?" I say to the group with a creepy grin on my face. "They do not matter. They are just glitches. They need to be eliminated."

Pfft, I sound like Error. But this is the persona I made to seem like a devout, loyal servant to him. It's incredibly funny how similar to Error I made it be.

I haven't taken my vials in a while. "Slate," Error spits. "What, Glasses? You're interrupting my dialogue," I say with a chuckle.

"Fuck. You."

"Aw, how adorable, Glasses. Sorry to say, but I'm already taken." I emphasize the 'taken' part hard, almost with hatred, which breaks my persona slightly.

-

Something has been creeping into my half soul. Something that freaks me out.

I've been thinking about Error a lot more. Some certain thoughts weren't exactly friendly, either. The problem is that I have no idea what’s going on, nor do I WANT to know. Either way I think, it frightens me for multiple reasons.

The main reason being if he finds out, then he’ll kill everyone I care about.

Gods, this is bad...

-

The longer this goes on, the more I hate myself.

The more I hate the persona I created.

Can’t this end already? Can’t they just win already?

...

Half of the multiverse is dead. Because of me and him.

Storyshift, Underfell, Underswap, Dreamtale...

Gone. Lost.

Overwritten.

...

My friends... are gone.

-

It’s been five years since we started the game. Exactly five years.

“Hello, my artist. It’s been five years since we started this game. How do you feel?” the vile Creator asks.

“I feel... happy, actually. This is really fun!” I lie enthusiastically.

“Good. Because there’s one last glitch we need to get rid of before the Multiverse can be fixed.”

“Who is it?” I question. Please don’t be Error. Please don’t be Error.

“Your dear friend, Error Sans. Timeline #Redacted. Destroyer of AU’s, and Ink Sans’ rival. Does that remind you of who he is?”

I pause, emotions filling up in my chest. See, this fool I’m “dating” decided it would be a good idea to chop his soul in half and give me one half of it.

I smile falsely. “I have no clue who Error is, but if he’s my rival, I might as well end our rivalry!” I exclaim with false enthusiasm.

On the inside, I felt like I was dying.

-

As I was dying, I contemplated my life decisions.

Should I tell him that I probably love him?

... nah. It’s probably not love, and he’s always been aroace. Just like me.

...

I’m so sorry, Error. I’m so sorry, everybody.

I never wanted to do this. I feel like... I feel as if I was just forced to destroy.

I feel as if I became a forced god of destruction. A destruction I did not want to cause, but I was forced to do it.

...

When I opened my eyes again, I saw gray. What’s going on?

I walk for a while, wiping the inky blood away from my mouth. Is there anyone here? Or am I confined to permanent Limbo?

At last, my legs collapse. I sit there, waiting for something, anything.

... but nobody came.

I smile, beginning to panic. Perhaps this is my punishment, to be alone. I’ve always hated to be alone, ever since my creation and the trauma that came afterward.

Abandonment. That is my greatest fear, to be abandoned like a work in progress project. And that’s exactly what happened to me after my creation.

I was abandoned.

-

I waited. And I waited. And I waited.

But nobody ever came. Perhaps this was my form of Hell, a punishment of being alone for all eternity, because of what I’ve done.

Until one day, someone finds me.

“I-Ink? Is that...”

I recognize that voice, I just can’t put a name to it. I want to say it starts with a D, but I’m not sure.

They extend a hand towards me, and I look up.

His aura is like a soft pillow, radiant but gentle. His eyes are pale yellow. And I remember his name, finally.

“Dream?”

-

As it turns out, everyone was in this place. Except him, XGaster. And, of course, the only person in the entire multiverse still alive: Error.

The moment I saw Cross, in the center of this place, I winced softly. Surely he’d hate me. I was the fell star, after all, the forced god of destruction.

Instead, he looked at me with awe. “Ink? Is that you?”

“Yes,” I reply emotionlessly, my vials long gone empty.

Cross smiles. Why is he smiling? I killed him first. I killed him. I killed his Chara, I killed EVERYONE in his AU, and he’s-

Before I know it, I’m hyperventilating on the ground. “What’s wrong with him?” I hear someone ask. “Isn’t Ink evil? He killed all of us,” another voice stated.

“I’m so sorry,” I manage to say.

Everyone goes silent.

“I... I didn’t... I never wanted to-“

“Yes you did, Ink,” I hear a harsh voice state. Nightmare.

Tears run down my face. Why am I crying? I don’t feel emotions without vials.

“I... he forced me to. He said he’d kill everyone I cared about. If I didn’t obey, you all would’ve died sooner-“

“It would’ve been better if he killed us rather than you,” Nightmare snaps.

I hiccup, wiping my tears away.

“If you don’t want me here, that’s... that’s what I deserve. I don’t deserve anything, not after what I’ve done.”

Everyone is silent.

I stand up, slowly, trying to keep myself balanced.

“It’s your decision.”

-

Blueberry and Dream kept me company, making sure I didn’t fall into pieces.

But who I really wanted to see was Error. I wanted to see his true smile again. I wanted to do arts and crafts with him. I wanted to say that I-

... what?

Gray blush spreads across my face. No, no. I don’t feel that way, I can’t. I’m incapable of feeling love.

So why was I about to think that?

...

Ughh. Now I have to worry about that, too.

-

It grew worse with every day I was away from him.

Is this what longing feels like?

... no. I can’t feel love.

-

The first person to disappear from the gray Limbo was Cross. One day he was there, the next... it was like he never existed.


	3. Chapter 3 - New Identity

I crochet, making a puppet. Might as well, considering how everyone is gone. Erased. Overwritten.

I blindly push forward, not realizing what the design for the puppet is until I finish. Ink.

My soul aches for a brief second before I sigh. He's gone. Dead. Why haven't I accepted it yet? Perhaps I haven't accepted it because I'm in disbelief.

I look around me in the empty, gray husk of the Doodlesphere. Puppets clutter the entire floor, some hanging from the ceiling. I huff, getting up. Ink wouldn't appreciate it if I made his former home a huge mess.

As I clean up, I get this weird feeling. It's like... someone is talking to me?

I pause, trying to focus on it.

"C'mon guys, clearly he's lonely. What should we do?" a voice suddenly says. I startle, dropping the puppets in my arms and collapse onto the ground.

"Ow," I grumble. I try focusing on the feeling again. "Are you okay?!" I hear another voice say. "Can he even hear us?"

I haven't heard the Creators in so long...

"Hey, wait, are you guys... Creators?" I ask slowly, rubbing my injured arm. I have bad experiences with Creators. They usually torment me.

"Yep! And we're here to help you!" a cheerful voice says.

I blink. Creators... can be helpful?

"Here, stand up. We have some things for you, Error." I stand up, noticing things appearing on the ground. A notebook... wait, no. A sketchbook, a pencil, art supplies... wait a minute.

"Are you guys kidding me? I'm a Destroyer. I don't CREATE. Why would I need-" I snap. "Because you need company," one of the voices say.

Company? How would I get company from art supplies?! I'm not Ink! I don't talk to a paintbrush!

I glitch slightly, refusing to touch the supplies. "C'mon, Error. We're trying to help you, unlike the Creators that used to occupy your mind."

I sigh, giving in. I think of the first thing to come to my mind: an empty jar.

I sketch said empty jar. Suddenly, it materializes in front of me.

I blink. I'm hallucinating, right? I can't... create. That's the Creators job, and Ink protects the creations and shit. I didn't just do that... right?

"Good job, Error! That's your first creation!"

I blink again, looking at the sketchbook then at the jar. Then it clicks.

"Wait a minute. I can sketch something and it'll materialize, correct? What if I sketch one of the former characters of an Overwritten AU?"

Silence. Then...

"It'll appear, yes. But it'll be a husk. Soulless. That's why creating AU characters of a pre-existing character is complicated. You need to create the husk, then you have to define the character with personality traits. Of course, every character is like this. But with alternate versions of characters, it's more complicated. You need to make a big enough difference so that it's seen as an AU or a multiverse version, and not just an alternate timeline."

Huh. Wait...

"Then why is Ink soulless? He has personality traits. He's defined. He's different than Sans. Yet he's soulless."

Silence again, but this time I hear hushed whispers. "Should we tell him?"

"Well, you see... Ink was created as a design, then he was abandoned by his original creator. Someone found him, rescued him after ages... then he was given gifts by us Creators. Paint so he could feel false emotion, art supplies, you name it. But we could never make him a soul, no matter how hard we tried. Only the original creator can make a soul for their character."

... so that's why he depends on the Creators. They saved him from an internal Limbo of being abandoned, remaining just as a character design.

That's why he has a fear of being alone. Because he was alone for so long that he broke.

Just like me, but different. We could've started the same way, but we ended up as opposites because of certain events. He was saved, and me? I was left broken, and eventually I snapped, becoming a Destroyer.

"Can I have the honor of recreating your destroyed creations? ... am I worthy of recreating what he destroyed? Am I worthy of recreating the entire multiverse?" I ask the Creators.

"Yes. You are worthy of recreating our lost creations, Error," they say in unison.

"Then let me be known as Indecorum from this day forward. I will be the Multiverse's Creator and Protector from now on, and I will relinquish my title as a Destroyer."

I start my work, first creating a new design for myself. I don't want to look like the same person when everyone comes back.

Then I sketch Cross. I'm actually pretty good at drawing, I just rarely admit to people I draw regularly.

I use references and memories, making sure Cross looks the same. Then I watch him materialize.

"This is so odd," I say to myself. "What now, Creators?"

"You need to define his character now. Make sure you make everything how you want it to be."

I want to remain as accurate to the Cross I remember as possible. I define his character, making sure that it's accurate. And then he blinks.

"... are you alive?" I ask Cross. Then he smiles. "Is that you, Error? Why do you look different?" I blink, looking down at my new clothing. "Oh... that. I have something important to tell you."

I explain to him everything that's happened since I saw him die. He was the first to die, well more like be Overwritten from existence. It was pretty traumatic to see him glitch out of existence.

By the time I get to XGaster's death, he interrupts me. "Wait, Ink was telling the truth?" I blink, waiting for an explanation.

"We were all placed in this gray Doodlesphere place. Ink was the final one to arrive, and when he saw me, he started hyperventilating and apologized. He said that XGaster manipulated him into following his orders, and if he didn't, that he'd kill Ink's loved ones. That was true?"

I nod, explaining what Ink said to me in his final moments. "He apologized, saying that he never wanted to kill anybody. He was trying to explain himself to me before he died, so I never got the full message.”

Cross stiffens. “Ink... died? I mean, that’d explain why he showed up to the place everyone was moved to after being Overwritten out of the multiverse, aka dying. But I didn’t think soulless beings or outcodes could die.”

I look down, tears rising in my eyesockets. “They can’t. But what if XGaster Overwrote Ink’s character to have a partial soul?”

“What? That’s impossible as far as I know, Error-“

“Call me Indecorum. Also, I saw half a purple soul cracking in his hand, Cross. I didn’t hallucinate him turning into a puddle of ink, nor did I hallucinate the purple half soul shattering.”

I saw his eyelights shrink. “A... purple soul? Was it upright?”

“... yes.”

Cross gasps, finally realizing that XGaster did, in fact, give Ink half of his soul. He starts tearing up, tears running down his face silently.

-

[Meanwhile, in the gray Limbo...]

The only thing left of Cross was a note.

I read it out loud.

“This character file has been restored by ADMIN INDECORUM. Please welcome Cross back to the new multiverse when you can.

Love,

\- The Creators.”

... Who the hell is Indecorum? Is he a new Creator?

I hear something in my head...

“Ugh, it’s him, the traitor,” they mumble. Are those... Creators?

“Hey, guys, who are you?” I ask quietly.

They start laughing.

I have a feeling of dread. These aren’t the Creators I usually hear.

“Here, traitor. Take these clothes.”

I look at the materialized clothes on the ground.

“Uh... aren’t you going to give me art supplies or something?”

“Nope. Figure out how to create them on your own. Or...

_~~You could destroy everyone in this miserable Limbo~~_.”

New designs:

<https://imgur.com/a/TEaLk27>


	4. Chapter 4 - Glitch in the Code

After Cross disappeared, slowly but surely, everyone else followed. Except for me. I was too busy dealing with the Creators to care about the other AU's getting repaired.

"C'mon, Ink, just try it... try to destroy..." they whispered. I banged my head against the wall. "Shut up," I whispered back.

I didn't want to destroy. I was a Protector of the AU's- wait. That title doesn't mean anything now. Maybe I SHOULD try to-

No. I shook my head. I'm not going to give in.

...

"How do I destroy," I whisper harshly. Silence. I huff, irritated. Fine, I'll experiment.

First, I try to pull up a code modifier. Nothing. Nothing happens.

I grumble, banging my hand against the ground. Suddenly, something appears.

"Notepad... huh. I don't recognize Error using this," I mumble. The first thing I check is Undertale's save files.

I manage to (somehow) find them by using a file searcher program, then open them in Notepad. I blink, suddenly seeing lines of code in my vision.

I create a copy of the original save files, then modify them.

"You idiot! You're creating again!" the voices scream at me. I wince, exiting the file without saving.

Hmm.... what can I do?

I look outside. Suddenly, everyone is gone. "Oh. They must've been saved by that damned Creator," I mutter.

I create a portal, supposed to lead me to the Doodlesphere. Somehow it actually works. Huh.

I step into the portal.

Instead of accessing the Doodlesphere, I end up in the AntiVoid.

I scream, closing my eyes immediately after seeing the white void. Wait...

I open my eyes again, focusing on a... puppet. Of me - no, of Ink. I'm not Ink anymore, I guess.

I grab the puppet, and see more code. Huh. I type in some code instinctually and-

My hand suddenly feels like it's not holding anything.

I look down.

The puppet is gone.

My eyelights widen. Did I just... destroy something? "Good job, squid. You did something useful for once, go figure. Now find out where the hell you are."

Hmm... but what should I call myself?

"Call yourself Slate."

I pause. Slate?

"Yes. Slate. Don't argue with us."

I'm Slate... the Destroyer.

I step through another portal, this time to the actual Doodlesphere. It looks... colorful. Huh. Wasn't it dreadfully dull and depressing the last time I was here?

I see a figure in the distance. Who... is that? What are they doing in my Doodlesphere?!

I run towards them. "Hey, idiot! Get the hell out of my-"

They turn around and I suddenly come to a stop.

That looks like... Error. But not Error at the same time. Hmm...

"What? This is my home. Who are you? I don't recall creating you," Not-Error says.

"Slate. Who are YOU, moron?! You can't just-" I pause. This isn't my home anymore. Not-Error stiffens when I say my name.

"... I'm Indecorum. Again, this is my home. How'd you even access this place? I have a lock on it."

I look at him. THIS is Indecorum?! He's a skeleton?! What?!

"It doesn't matter how I accessed this place, Glasses." Indecorum glares at me. "Don't call me Glasses." I smirk.

"You look like a glitch in the code, with your weird bone colors."

"And you are leaving," Indecorum huffs.

I laugh. "I'm not going anywhere, Glitch. Do you know what I am? What I'm capable of?" He pauses.

"... No, I do not. Get out of my Doodlesphere. Now." And that was my breaking point.

I tilt my head downward, laughing softly. "You remind me of someone I once knew. His name was Ink. Do you know what I did to him?

I killed him."

"Get out," Indecorum repeats, his voice cracking. I smirk.

"Do you know what I do to glitches, Indecorum? I destroy them." He pauses.

"... You remind me of someone I once knew. His name was Error," Indecorum spits out. I stiffen.

I chuckle. "Do you have a death wish?" "Apparently so, Slate." He says my name harshly, as if he recognizes it.

I quickly realize I don't know how to fight as a Destroyer. Maybe I should have thought this through. I pull up a panel, viewing his information.

"Indecorum

Level 1...?

Creator of the RenovatedVerse. The replacement of Ink Sans, the Protector of the Underverse, he quickly fit into his role as a Creator. He has a fear of being touched, and does not feel love."

Hmm...

Meanwhile Indecorum is staring at me, which I eventually realize. "What? Did you really think you could view my information without me noticing?" Indecorum says cheerfully. "I modified it. I have... experience with using code."

I grumble, closing the panel. "Fine, check mine, Glitch."

"Slate

Level 1...?

Destroyer of the RenovatedVerse. The replacement of Error Sans, the Destroyer of the Underverse, he quickly fit into his role as a Destroyer. He has a fear of being abandoned and seeing white, and does not feel love.”

He looks at me. “You edited it right now. I can tell. You basically just copy pasted what I put in mine.”

“Listen, Glasses! I don’t want you to know my personal information,” I grumble. He grins. “What, do you have your Social Security Number in it?” “... What’s a Social Security Number?”

After a long pause, I look down at my hands and pull up another panel. “What’re you doing?” Indecorum asks. “Shut up, Windows Vista.”

I quickly realize my mistake, flushing a dark gray. He stiffens. “I, uh, didn’t mean that. Pleasedon’tkillme-“

His eyelights morph into white lines, and he grins maniacally. “Oh, you’re not getting away with that one, squid.”

He pulls pastel rainbow strings from his eyes, staring at them for a moment before looking back up at me. I feel a sense of déjà vu, and I halfway reach back for my paintbrush without realizing that it wasn’t there. When I do, I instantly pull my hand back, pulling up panels.

He forms a glitchy portal beneath me, leading us to the AntiVoid. “Welcome to my home,” I say sarcastically. “This isn’t your home, inkstain,” Indecorum says emotionlessly.

“Who’s is it then?” I ask thoughtlessly. “M- Error’s. Your predecessor. This is his home.”

We stare each other down, weapons in hand.

Then we each take a step forward.

“Hah, I didn’t know that two people in the multiverse could use those weapons,” I say in response to him tying me up. “What do you know about it, Slate? You weren’t around during the previous multiverse.”

I smirk. He freezes. “Haha, I never mentioned the previous multiverse, did I, Glitch?”

“Shut up before I actually fight you,” he growls. “So when are you going to fight me, Glasses? Being tied up doesn’t solve anything.”

A shadow covers his face, making me gulp. “I take it back, don’t fight me-“ “Too late.”

As soon as he materializes a bone, I know I’m screwed. I try my hardest to delete the strings without him noticing.

When I fall onto the ground, I immediately scramble upward, running away from him and creating a portal. I jump into it, appearing in an AU I can’t recall the name of.

I try deleting the AU as fast as possible. Right before Indecorum arrives, I manage to delete the entire AU, making the Creators in my head cheer. I ignore them, fighting for survival.

“You destroyed FlowerFell?! What the hell, Slate?!” Indecorum snaps. I jump into another portal, this time to another AU.

The cycle continues until the multiverse ends up being a huge mess, and we’re back at the Doodlesphere.

My hands tremble. I feel ink on them as I start coughing. “Hah... haha... I overexerted myself...” I whisper to nobody. I land on my knees, coughing harshly.

“... Slate?”

I cough again, feeling my rib cage crack. I try to get back to my feet, and end up collapsing onto the ground.

“... is this how it ends?” I manage to say through my coughing.

“... it feels like... back then... when I... hahAHAHHAHA!” I suddenly laugh, slightly curling into myself.

“Slate! C’mon, no, get up-“

“It feels like back then when I died,” I whisper.

“... what?”

“Don’t you remember?” I mumble, forgetting that he isn’t Error. “I died, didn’t I? I ended up in that horrible grayscale Limbo... hahaha, this is all my... fault...”

“How is this your fault?! I think you’re dying!” Indecorum exclaims, trying to heal me.

“It’s... all my fault... the multiverse... I...”

“Sure, you caused a mess, but you didn’t destroy it like they did!”

“... I wasn’t... talking about...”

“Slate, please, you can’t die on me, not like him-“

“I told you... stupid Glasses! I... my fault... I killed them... I killed them all...”

“Who did you kill, Slate? Tell me. I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as-“

“Ink... my... I’m... my fault...”

I wheeze, unable to talk any more, black ink pouring from my mouth.

“Who... are you?”

“... I-I’m...”

Then I knock out.


	5. Chapter 5 - Who Are You?

After healing Slate and waiting for the idiot to wake up, I start sketching Ink. Maybe... I should finally bring him back.

We're in my AntiVoid. Well, my former AntiVoid. I guess it'd be his now.

As I finish sketching Ink, I wait. And wait. And wait.

Nothing manifests. Nothing gets created. What the hell? He's supposed to be...

"Creators, where is Ink?" I ask. They mumble amongst themselves. "... we shouldn't tell him, that'd ruin the..."

"We cannot tell you."

I grumble, slightly glitching between my current design and my old one - Lucidia Error. I realize this, calming down.

I sigh. I just want Ink back, damnit. How hard could that be?

Something clicks in my mind. Slate. He was saying something about "everything being his fault." Ink. He destroyed the entire multiverse, therefore making it his fault. Wait...

... is Slate actually Ink?

I need to test this theory over the course of a month, at least. I need time. Either way...

I turn the page, starting to draw one of my favorite memories - and one of Ink's favorite memories, I learned after he joined the XEvent.

...

"Error, where are we going?" Ink asked cautiously. I grin, not replying, just leading the way. "Y'know, this isn't how you usually act. Usually you're all pissed off and destroy what I'm supposed to be- oh."

When he notices where we are, he pauses. Outertale. Usually, the only place we actually have a minor truce in. Except this time, I offered to take him here.

"... why'd you take me here again?" Ink says suspiciously, his eyelights changing from an orange triangle and a yellow star to a purple swirl and an aqua square. I have 0 clue what the colors mean, but I'm guessing he's curious.

"I thought you'd appreciate it if you had drawing material," I say quietly. Nobody says anything for a while. "Well, I guess not. Later, squi-"

"Nuh-uh, you're staying here," Ink says cheerfully. I groan, sitting down. "What? Do you want me to pose for you, or do something dumb?" I snap. "Nah, I just want your company."

As he draws, I eventually create a portal to my AntiVoid and start to crochet. It's actually pretty peaceful, when he isn't talking or fighting me. It's almost... nice.

What am I thinking? I don't think about shit like that.

"Pfft, Windows Vista, your face is yellow," the inkstain says softly.

...

I miss stuff like that. Ever since the XEvent...

By now, I've finished the drawing. I close the sketchbook before it gets created. I still can't control that.

"Hhngh... what happened...?" I hear Slate mumble. I turn around, glaring at him. “Welcome to the living world, idiot. You could’ve died. You acted careless. Clearly you haven’t had much experience as a Destroyer, Slate,” I snap.

He mumbles something unintelligible, glaring right back at me. “I didn’t need your help, Creator.” I roll my eyelights. “Yeah, it’s not like you would’ve died, would you? You could’ve handled overexertion easy peasy, you didn’t need me to heal you and make sure you didn’t choke on black tar in your sleep. Fuck off.”

“Wanna do another round, Creator?”

I choke. “No thanks, Destroyer. Besides-“

“I need practice, dumbass. Clearly you know more about it than I do.”

I sigh.

“Fine. I’ll teach you how to destroy properly.”

I wince as he carelessly pulls up the deepest code of the AntiVoid. Gods, he really knows nothing about destruction, huh? That’d make sense if he was Ink.

“No, no. Listen, you need to learn the basics of coding before you can do that.” “Huh? What did I do?” Slate asks. “You pulled up the most advancedcode of the AntiVoid. That’s highly advanced code, you can’t work on that stuff yet.”

I pull up basic code. “Look at this. This is binary code, aka the stuff that makes up all of the world surrounding us.” “... binary code?” “Yes, Slate. Binary code. It’s the simplest code out there.”

“Binary code consists of 0’s and 1’s. 0 represents off, 1 represents on.”

After a detailed explanation on binary code, he states something.

“Indecorum, this creates. This isn’t useful.” I stifle a laugh. “Slate, not everything you do when destroying is actual destruction. Not everything you do when creating is actual creation. In art, you have to erase your mistakes, correct? That is destruction.”

He blinks. “But I thought...” I grin. “When destroying, first you have to understand how to create, then you have to input the commands to destroy. You managed to destroy without knowing what you were doing, but do you actually know how to read code?” “... no...”

I keep teaching him. Eventually he wants to test his knowledge out on something physical. I sigh, grabbing a puppet I made a long time ago.

“Anomaly #2, Error would’ve called this one.”

It was a puppet of Ink.

Slate blinks, tears forming in his eyes, before he wipes them away. If he was Ink, that’d be a reasonable reaction to seeing your previous self, and a puppet your former rival created.

He careful grabs it, pulling up a binary code panel, inputting the correct code to destroy it. It disintegrates, turning into nothing. “I bet Error did that a lot.”

“Shut up, anomaly,” Slate mutters. Huh, either he really modeled himself after me, or he’s doing that subconsciously.

“What would he have called himself?” Slate suddenly asks. “He would’ve called himself Anomaly #1, or abomination #1,” I reply, looking down. “Why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it was because of his backstory. Maybe it was because he was in the AntiVoid for too long. Maybe it was because nobody saved him. Maybe it was because he was the first person to call himself an error.”

Silence.

“You shouldn’t know that much about him, Indecorum,” Slate snaps. “Who even are you?”

“Like I said before. I once knew someone, and his name was Error.”

“WHO ARE YOU?!” Slate screams. “TELL ME! NOBODY EXCEPT HIM WOULD KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT HIM!”

I chuckle. Gods, he’s dense. If I was in his position, seeing someone similar to Error would be an immediate “Oh, that’s Error.” Like how Cross immediately knew it was me.

“If I tell you who I am, you have to tell me who you are, Slate.”

“ _Never_ ,” he snaps. “I will never tell you, _Creator_.”

I smile.

“Then I won’t tell you.”


	6. Chapter 6 - The Truth

"I'll kill you for saying that," I snap. I need to know. My curiosity was killing me, yet I shouldn't feel emotions. Indecorum rolls his eyes - "You're all talk and no bite. Actually do something for once, would you?"

I try to move, do anything. I can't. I can't harm him. What...? That makes no sense, it must be because he looks like...

"You can't do anything, can you, Slate? You can't hurt me, can you?" Indecorum says, taunting me.

"... you look like... I can't..."

"Ah, I see. I look like someone you know? Obviously you must care about them if you can't even hurt me," he says cheerfully.

Gods, he's annoying. Was I this annoying before the XEvent? I must've been.

"I made a truce with him... and I broke it. So why can't I...?" I mumble to myself, ignoring Indecorum for a bit, then sharply turn to him again.

"Kill him," the Creators whispered in my head.

"Erase him from existence. It'll be so easy to just destroy this multiverse... wouldn't it, Ink?" they laugh.

I chuckle. "Screw truces. Screw him. You're going to die." Indecorum rolls his eyes, about to say another back talk until he sees me walking towards him.

I don't have my paint... or Broomy... but I have his knowledge of coding. What if I...? Yes, I'll do that.

"Toodles!" I suddenly say, startling him. I disappear into a portal, appearing in Underswap. I pause for a second. Blueberry is here, probably hanging out with Cross or Dream.

I swiftly kill the residents of this worthless AU, my feet crunching in the snow of Snowdin eventually. I pause. Do I really want to fight my old friends? Hmm...

Yes. I do.

I pull up panels around me, typing in code. A brush appears, and I pick it up, smiling. I snap it in half, feeling better now I hold it.

See, this was the first gift I got.

Broomy.

I walk down the town, my head lowered.

By the time I reach the end of Snowdin, almost every resident is dead. Including Carrot, the Papyrus of this AU.

I hear footsteps behind me.

“... Ink? Is that you?” I hear a very familiar voice say. Blueberry.

I turn around, pausing as I see...

Blueberry, Dream, and Indecorum.

“Hahaha... what makes you think I’m Ink? Ink is dead. I’m not Ink...

I’m Slate.”

I initiate combat, using paint to capture them. “Goodbye, Blueberry,” I say cheerfully, killing him. “Ink, what the hell?!” Dream yells. “... I told you. Ink is dead.”

Suddenly, the paint holding them in place disintegrates. “So... you’re Ink, huh?”

I freeze, hearing a familiar voice. Glitchy, recognizable...

I turn my head slightly. I don’t see him.

I see Indecorum.

I pause. Wait...

Is Indecorum... actually Error?

“Don’t let that stop you, Ink,” the Creators whisper.

But I can’t... I don’t want to...

“Hurt him. Make him suffer.”

I don’t want to.

“We said...

HURT HIM.”

I wince, my head foggy as I take a step forward.

“What’s wrong with him, Error?!” I faintly hear.

“The Creators. He got stuck with the vile ones, the ones that used to torment me.”

I feel more alive than ever before.

“So, you’re Error... aren’t you, Indecorum?” I ask rhetorically. “That’s unfortunate. I guess I’ll just have to continue our rivalry a little while longer.”

I drop a vial of black ink, manipulating it into becoming multiple weapons, including an XGaster Blaster. I delete Dream, smiling. Hell, even I know that everyone will be back in a few hours, because of my past job.

I blast him with the Blaster, not expecting much to happen.

\- 16 HP

Error - no, Indecorum - smirks. “Finally, a bite and not just talk.”

He uses blue magic, grabbing onto my -

... purple soul?

“You have a soul now?” Indecorum questions. Then he shrugs, smirking. “That makes things way easier.”

He tosses me down, using his strings to injure me. “You really thought that I wouldn’t have learned anything from your wins as Ink?”

I grimace as he takes away my weapons. Great. I underestimated him, just like he underestimated me when we first fought.

“You’re an idiot, Ink,” the Creators snap.

-

[Perspective swap]

Ink - no, Slate - lies on the ground, shuddering. How did he get a soul? Only a Creator who initially created him can...-

I gasp, my eyelights shrinking as I suddenly stop attacking.

XGaster gifted him a soul, didn’t he? That should be impossible... unless...

Unless XGaster was Ink’s initial Creator...

Slate coughs, his soul cracking slightly. He’s weak... is that because half of him is dead?

Now I hate XGaster more.

Not only did he abandon his own creation to make a more perfect one, he interacted with said creation, forcing him to join his perfect plan.

That’s utterly disgusting, I think to myself. Who knows what else XGaster has done that is disgusting.

I take Slate back to my Doodlesphere, healing him while fixing the multiverse. “... why do you keep saving me...” Slate mutters.

Because I used to love you, I want to say.

Because I loved Ink.

I don’t say that. I say, “Because leaving you to die in the snow wouldn’t solve any of our problems, Slate.”

He glares at me. “Like what...? The fact that I’m Ink and you’re Error?”

“Yes. For one, why are you suddenly a Destroyer?”

“For the same reason you’re suddenly a Creator.”

‘Because I had to replace the others role.’ That sentence was left unspoken, but I knew exactly what was missing from that sentence.

“... who was I?” I ask him. “Huh? You were Error.”

“No, Slate. Before I was Error. My earliest memory was in the AntiVoid.”

“I’m not allowed to disclose that information. But... before you were Error, you were someone else. And before THAT, you were... someone else.”

“... what.”

“Don’t ask. I worked especially hard on that AU, making sure the Creator of it didn’t mess up any facts.

... you were partially right about being the first ‘anomaly.’”

That explains nothing, but okay.

We sit in comfortable silence.

“... what now? You’re Ink. I’m Error. I’m supposed to be a Destroyer, you on the other hand are supposed to be a Protector.”

“... we continue our rivalry, except on the opposite sides.”

I sigh. I guess... I’ll have to fit into this role more.


	7. Chapter 7 - Charade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to be working on an animatic, but I'll just work on this.

I was honestly confused - why did Ink want to continue being a Destroyer? He adored creation and protecting the AU's, so why would he willingly want to destroy them? It made 0 sense. 

Days passed into months, months passed into years, yet we continued this charade as if we always have been this way.

... as much as Creation was lovely, I wanted to destroy again. I wanted to see AU's crumble into pieces by my hand. I wanted to keep the balance in check by Destruction instead of Creation, unlike a certain idiot who destroys just to destroy.

Anyway, I'm sketching in my never-ending sketchbook, hanging out in Outertale. I sigh, my hands twitching. I need to destroy. It's in my nature.

... why do I need to destroy, exactly? I've been doing it for so long, I've had the same mentality for so long, that I've forgotten my own motives. Billions of years in this multiverse have been wasted because of my mentality, yet, I don't remember why I do this.

I don't remember what caused me to become an... error.

I'm thinking too much. This isn't like me.

Suddenly, I grow aware of the footsteps behind me. I turn around.

My eyelights widened as I recognized the figure. Slate.

"Hello, Slate," I mumble, shoving my sketchbook into a portal. He sits down a few inches away from me, his paintbrush on his back.

"I've been thinking about something," Slate states suddenly. I don't notice that his cheeks flush slightly gray. "And... uh... could we make a truce?" I pause.

"A truce?" My mind flickers to the only actual time we've had a truce, which was before the XEvent. Back then, we didn't even try to keep the truce together, and he broke it first. No, no, I'm misremembering.

...

"We've been fighting for the multiverse's existence many times. Destroy or Create. This is our reason for a war between us, isn't it? Let me tell you, that I am going to win this war," I say clearly, emotionlessly, as I stare at my enemy. My rival. The person I've been fighting for... wait, how long has it been?

"Honestly? I don't care how much you hate me. Everything I do actually scares you," Ink says emotionlessly. Has he not been taking his vials? Goddamnit, squid.

"Half of the entire multiverse gone. Erased by their own Creators... they understood their alternate universes are a waste of time and space."

"Because they tried to make a story in which we would get along. Isn't it magnificent?" Ink states, not asks. I just stare at the floor.

"If everything is so funny to you... what if we make this more interesting? Like, we could reach an agreement. And see how much you can handle this. No more Creation. No more Destruction. If you don't help to create more... anomalies, I promise not to destroy them."

"Promises are made to be broken, anyway. Which one of us can break our truce in the most significant way?" Ink states.

"Indeed, I will be the only one." I'm still looking at the ground.

Then I hear a small laugh, and I look up to see Ink smirking. "I don't think so."

...

Little did I know, the stupid ink blot was planning with XGaster. Little did I know, we both broke the truce at around the same time.

Little did I know, he'd go on to destroy the entire multiverse.

"... a truce. YOU want to make a truce?" I ask, snapping. I inch away from him. "Don't you remember the LAST time we made a truce?! It ended with you destroying the entire damn multiverse and me having to fix it!"

Slate looks away, pulling up his turtleneck. "I... I was just wondering- never mind. You're right. Haha... forget about it."

Then he rushes off. What's the deal with him?

-

[Perspective swap]

I ran away, tears forming in my eyesockets. I just wanted to know if we could actually, genuinely, become friends. But no, I had to mention a truce, which obviously wouldn't end well considering I helped destroy the entire multiverse BECAUSE of a truce.

Whatever. Whatever! It's fine, I'm fine, this is fine-

I trip, falling off the ground towards the Void.

Fuck.

Well, uh... I guess I'm going to die?

I silently laugh at my own stupidity.

That's when rainbow strings wrap around me, pulling me up and towards the ground.

Error - Indecorum - flicks me on the head. "Idiot."

"Thanks, Error, that really helps the situation," I snap, saying Error out of habit.

"What do you want me to say?! You're an idiot! You probably weren't even looking as you were walking- oh, excuse me, running and crying. Which, by the way, why the hell are you crying?" Indecorum shoots back.

"He's hurting you, Ink. Kill him," the Creators mutter. No, shut up. I'm not killing him just because he saved my life.

"..."

"C'mon, Ink. Say something," Indecorum snaps, mocking me and my past words.

Two can play that game, I think bitterly.

"Then I won't tell you.”


	8. Chapter 8 - Different Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW I’M SO ORIGINAL, I USED THE SAME TITLE FROM CHAPTER 2 ✌️😔

The fact that Ink, my friend, is now a Destroyer sickens me.

The fact that Error, our enemy, is now a Creator confuses me.

Nobody changed except them. Those two switched places, and the cause of it was whatever happened at the end of the XEvent. Something happened, and I don't know what.

I'm snapped out of my thoughts suddenly by Swap rushing around the mini house. "What are you doing?" I ask him.

"Oh, I'm just, y'know, panicking. Looking for Indecorum." I hate how everyone calls them Indecorum and Slate. As if they weren't Error and Ink. As if they changed.

"Oh. Mind if I join you, Blue?" I offer, pretending that I cared about Error.

I was just as bad as Ink or Nightmare, I think bitterly to myself. That quickly went away, however.

"Sure!" Swap accepts enthusiastically. But as soon as we walk outside, we walk into Ink - excuse me, Slate.

"Hi Slate!" Swap greets Ink, pretending that this was normal.

Pretending that we weren't a team.

I ignore Ink, not wanting to say hello. "Hey, Dream! C'mon, say hi to Slate!" I sigh. "Aren't we supposed to be enemies, now? Whatever. Hi, Slate."

Ink mumbles something to himself, and it suspiciously sounds like "I can't deal with this right now." What does that mean?

"Hi, bye."

Then he walks away. Swap looks confused, I don't care.

...

See, you'd expect me to be all sunshine and happiness, considering I'm the living embodiment of Positivity. However, things change. Nightmare sure did.

First of all, my twin brother turned into a public menace and a Destroyer by the age of roughly 12. My brother snapped, killing every single villager in the village in front of me. Most of which were my friends.

Then, Ink manipulated me, turned me into his "friend." We fought, and I realized that he didn't care much, if at all, about the inhabitants in AU's.

Then, the XEvent. I saw my brother die in front of me. I saw the Corruption slowly fall off of him, turning him into his "passive" form. I saw my brother laugh, purple bone marrow dripping from his wounds, his eyes lilac yet still as sharp as they were when he's in his "default" Corrupted form. I saw my brother look at me and say goodbye for the final time.

I saw my brother collapse onto the ground, dead finally. And he was only dead because XGaster and Ink made him dead. I felt all of the Negativity in the multiverse suddenly disappear, and I felt my head start to feel fuzzy. I felt everything that came afterward.

All of that. All of that made a bitter seed of hatred grow in my soul, angry at the world, at others, yet unable to feel that way for more than a few seconds at a time.

One day, I truly fear that the seed will sprout, causing me to feel negative emotions longer and longer, until it consumes me and I become like my brother. Shattered.

...

Swap is waiting for me to come back inside, so I do.

Sometimes I wonder if he just likes me because of my aura. Just like Ink. Other times I remember that he isn't like Ink.

Error comes into the house, frowning. "Has anyone seen Slate?" I sigh. "We just saw him leave a moment ago-" "Dream, that was over 15 minutes ago! Oh no..." Swap exclaims, sweat slowly trailing down his face. I blink. 15 minutes?

"... I trust Blueberry's word over yours, Dream. Sorry. That gives me an idea of where he might have gone to, though."

-

[Perspective swap]

I ran through the Doodlesphere, looking for Slate. "Not here either... odd. I checked Underswap, Dreamtale, the Star Sans house, Outertale, the Doodlesphere...

I didn't check the AntiVoid."

Why'd he be in the AntiVoid, though? He hates white. To be fair, it IS his home now...

I go to the AntiVoid, surprised to find him just... sitting there. What is he doing?

"I just wanted to be friends with him," Slate mumbles. Pause. "No. I'm not going to hurt him, jeez. We've already had this discussion. I'm not going to-" Another pause, longer this time. "You guys really love to scream at me, don't you?"

I stand there, watching him talk to the Creators tormenting him, beginning to crochet. He knows how to crochet?! ... I shouldn't be that surprised, considering everything else.

He talks to the Creators, arguing with them as he makes a puppet that looks awfully similar to -

My face flushes yellow, and I immediately open another portal to leave.

Alright, that was uh... interesting.

I walk through a door, not noticing my design glitching out, nor noticing Dream and Blueberry staring at me.

"You ruined the surprise, Error," I hear a voice mumble in my head. Ah, the Creators. Well, I couldn't particularly NOT act that way when I see him making a damn puppet of me-

"So," a voice cuts through the haze of my speeding thoughts. "Why do you look like you just saw a ghost, but also like you saw something inappropriate?"

My eyesight clears, and I see Dream and Blueberry staring at me, confused.

Great.

-

[Perspective swap]

I hear a quick glitchy noise as I'm making a puppet for Indecorum. I look around, but I don't see him. ... Odd.

"Hmm... should I give this to him..? ..."

I ponder, wondering if I should actually give it to him.


	9. Chapter 9 - Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter.

Eventually I just go to Outertale, hoping that he doesn't actually try to give me the puppet. Of myself. Why would he even do that? Sure, he has a soul. He can technically care about people more now that he has one, albeit he could already feel love without a soul. 

But he's never been the type of person to care about sentimentality or gifts.

Meanwhile, I'm still glitching out way too much. I look at my design glitching, not really caring much as a flash of white and red shows up on my chest -

Huh?

I analyze it more. Suspiciously, it almost looks like Geno's slash from when he died to Frisk Classic.

But that wouldn't make sense. I'm not Geno.

Unless that was who I was previously...?

The design goes away. Perhaps I was just hallucinating.

I pull out my sketchbook, flipping through it slowly. After I figured out how to not make things create just by drawing them, I started drawing way more stuff. Mainly Ink, admittedly.

Hmm... maybe there's a Creator who needs an AU to be created...

"Hey, Error," I hear Slate - no, Ink, say. Immediately, I feel my face flush yellow again as I'm reminded of why he's here, so I tug up my scarf.

"Hi, anomaly #2," I mumble. Ink shuffles, sitting next to me. "Anomaly #2...?" I sigh. "You were the first person I met after waking up in the AntiVoid, making me the first anomaly and you the second."

Ink hums. "... I made something for you. I hope you like it, my rival."

That enough made me gooey inside. Gods, I'm way too deep in love with this idiot. Ink pulls out a puppet of Indecorum.

"For you," he says, handing the puppet to me, his eyelights erratically morphing. Sometimes they change into light pink hearts, which I don’t quite understand the meaning of just yet.

“... Thank you,” I mumble, taking the puppet.

“Last time I said the wrong words. Do you want to be friends? No truce required, just friendship,” Ink asks, pulling up his turtleneck slowly.

This would put me in the friend zone, I realize. But I’d rather be only friends than rivals.

-

[Perspective swap]

Error blushes lightly, one eyelight changing to a light pink heart, the other staying white as usual. I blink. A heart shape usually represents live of some sort, either romantic or platonic. The color, however, makes the difference.

Pink represents lust. Light pink, on the other hand, represents love.

Putting a heart shape with either dull blue (heartbreak) or with light pink (love x2) means 97% of the time that the person with said eyelights has romantic feelings.

Given I’m the only person here with him, that’d mean that he potentially loves me.

...

“Yes,” Error says quietly. “We can be friends.”

I feel my own eyelights rapidly changing as I process this new information. I essentially just friend zoned him. Nice going there, Ink.

“... what do your eyelights mean? I’ve been wanting to ask that for a while now.”

I sigh, “... It doesn’t matter right now.”

-

Shape headcanons:

Square: Stability, balance, structure

Triangle upright: Stability, power, union of power body and spirit

Triangle reversed: Unstable

Star: Excitement

Rhombus: Unification of matter and spirit

Circle: Totality, wholeness

Circle with a dot: Neutral

Oval: Neutral

Oval with a dot:

Squiggly line: Excitement, confusion

Heart: Love

Color headcanons:

Red: Rage

Orange: Creativity

Yellow: Joy

Green: Jealousy

Aqua/Cyan: Tranquility

Blue: Sadness

Purple: Curiosity

Pink: Lust

Light pink: Love

Any color but dull: Fading emotion/negative

Any color but dark: Negative

Any color but light: Positive (except for lust and the negative emotions)


	10. Chapter 10 - I Don’t Want to Erase

I hum to the tune of a song I've long forgotten the lyrics to - I think it was a Creator's song...

The past few years as a Destroyer, I've grown sick of it. My hands itched to create artwork again, to help make AU's. But the Creators did not allow me to do so, they required me to be punished.

Are these the after effects of my actions? To be condemned to eternally destroy?

It hurt. I wanted my home back - the Doodlesphere. I've grown used to the blaring white of the AntiVoid by now, but that doesn't mean I like it. No, I do not like it at all.

Perhaps Error would be willing to trade spots with me, back to our original jobs. He must be dying to destroy an AU again.

A seed of doubt corrupts that thought before I have the strength to ask him.

I sigh, kicking my legs in boredom. "You could destroy," the Creators whisper. I ignore them, not wanting to comply. They grow angrier at me, demanding that I do my job.

Pfft. My "job," as if it really is my job.

Nightmare and his subordinates hate me. Dream hates me, I can tell that much, even if he can't feel hatred for more than a few seconds.

Why do Nightmare and Dream hate me again...?

Oh. Right, I murdered Nightmare in front of Dream.

My stolen soul clenches in pain at that thought. I murdered both brothers that day - I didn't know that if one dies, these other one follows soon after.

Why did I start creating again...?

-

_I woke up, feeling numb inside. Yet another day of white. White. White. It made me panic, my soul clenching in pain. How long will I remain here? How long will I be incomplete?_

_I felt like nothing was going to change. My hope dwindled to ash, and nothing remained._

_Tears flooded down my face, my body trembling. I hiccup, glaring at the ground._

_Whoever created me must be a sadist._

_What's my name again...? X? Yes, my name is X..._

_I'm from XTale, this is my home... everything is fine... normal..._

_The illusion shatters instantly._

_I am not fine._

_I grab my soul, glaring at it. I don't need this._

-

Ah... I remember now.

...

Wait a minute -

Did I think that? That I was from XTale?

I suddenly feel cold. Very, very cold. If that was right... if I was remembering correctly...

I could've ended up as Cross.

I shudder, my breathing unsteady. That means that my own Creator - XGaster - dated me, albeit forcefully. Perhaps he didn't know. Either way, that's disgusting.

I really need to talk to Error.

As soon as I think that, I hear footsteps behind me. I don't even bother to look behind me. "Who is it?" I sigh. "The only other person who can access this place, idiot squid."

I smile slightly, glad he's returning to his regular self. As for me? I'm in a bittersweet nightmare.

"We need to talk," Error says, sitting a few feet apart from me. I blink, looking at him. "I hate... this. Whatever the hell this is even called. Our reversed jobs. I'm sick of creating trash, and I bet you're sick of destroying."

Huh. I was just about to talk about that, if I remember correctly.

"So, friend - do you wish to return to how we were previously? Jobs, I mean, not anything else."

I consider this. "Deal."

"Thank god, I missed my AntiVoid. You ruined it." I laugh softly. "I didn't ruin anything! But to be fair, you probably ruined my Doodlesphere," I smirk.

"Oh shut up, Anomaly#2," Error sighs.

We're in comfortable silence for a while, ruined when I get reminded of my identity. "... I think I know something I shouldn't know."

"What do you mean," Error states, clearly not paying attention. "So y'know how I have a fear of white?" "Yep. It's incredibly annoying, and it's ironic because we're in a white void right now and you aren't having a panic attack."

I glare at him. "Fine, I won't tell you anything else." Error sighs. "Just continue your story, ink stain."

"... when I was created, I was in... a white void. There was nothing around me. I was incomplete, I had no color palette. I was... pure white," I start, not noticing Error wince slightly.

"I kept asking if anybody was there. But nobody came. I woke up every single day there, white surrounding me. It traumatized me, waking up and seeing nothing. There was no sound, no... anything. Nothing. I became so desperate for something to change. Anything."

I pause.

"So one day, I made something change."

Error interrupts my story, "... what. Please elaborate."

I sigh. "... I used to have a soul, Error. I was created with one."

Error frowns. "Then what the hell happened to it?" I roll my eyes. "I'm getting to that part, idiot."

"I took my soul out. I told myself that I didn't need it. I told myself that once I do this small change, everything would disappear. I told myself that I just had to die."

I took a long pause, ignoring Error's look of disbelief and horror. "So I did it. I tore my soul into shreds."

"... clearly you're still alive," Error says dumbly.

"Error. I _died_. I felt my existence _end_ for a fraction of a second, and the next, I was back. I was back, and I knew I was alive, but I felt nothing. I was empty, emotionless. I tried to feel my soul, but nothing appeared."

"... what the FU-" I glare at him. "I have high tier regeneration powers. I cannot die. I cannot be killed." Error glitches out. "So what you're telling me is that along with being an outcode, which already can't die, you have high tier regeneration that makes you COME BACK TO LIFE? BS."

"Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't exist right now, dummy. Monsters turn into dust. Anyway, that entire thing? That isn't the actual important part."

Error frowns, "There's more?"

"... I was named after my AU. My name was X. Do you know what that means?"

Error stares at me in horror.

"You're from an abandoned XTale, aren't you? XGaster was always trying to make the perfect AU, and it took way too long, but he almost did it."

"Exactly my thoughts."

Error frowns. "Your origin story reminds me of my own," he admits. "How so?"

"I... I woke up in the AntiVoid. I didn't know my name or purpose. I begged, screamed for someone to help me. Nobody came. And as I gave up hope... I sat there debating whether to end my misery."

I blink. Thats... remarkably similar to my own story.

"I didn't. The Creators... they stopped me. They told me that I wasn't going to die anyway, that I was too much of a glitch to die. Too much of an error. And slowly, they corrupted my mind, and I became what you knew back then."

Huh. "I guess we could've always have gone down different paths," I say, staring at the ground.

I wish I could tell him how I really feel about him.


	11. Chapter 11 - I Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy hell i had to use a freaking otp prompt generator for this because i had no ideas
> 
> Also? I'm making Dream extremely out of character for a reason.

Finding out that Ink was back on our side made me snap. "... You what?"

Ink gulps, his eyelights frantically changing to an upside down blue triangle and a white dot. "Error and I are back to our original jobs."

Suddenly I smile, my aura dulling. "So you're on our side again, huh?" I ask rhetorically, standing up. The seed of hatred sprouts, making my aura dark and stifling.

We're in Outertale, or more like I was in Outertale and then he found me.

My hands curled up, I summon my bow, morphing it into a spear. Ink backs away, getting closer to the ledge.

"You ruined everything," I say lowly, right before I -

-

[Perspective swap, a few minutes earlier]

I was hanging out in Outertale, alone, in my passive form. The stars were beautiful, huh... they reminded me of back then, sort of.

I feel a shot of negativity radiate from nearby, making me immediately transform into my Corrupted form. Damnit, of course someone had to interrupt me.

The negative emotion felt way too twisted to be normal, and it stifled my own negative aura. What the hell? I'm supposed to be the King of Negativity, the incarnation of its pure form.

I investigate this feeling, my eye widening when I see where it's coming from.

I see Ink about to fall into the Void, Dream looking at the ground, holding a dull yellow spear.

"You ruined everything," Dream said ominously, before trying to skewer Ink.

My body moved without conscious thought, blocking the attack from connecting. Dream looks shocked, and my face is tainted by a lack of amusement.

"What the actual fuck?" I snap at him, feeling the heavy negativity disappear in an instant. "Uh-" he tries to explain himself.

"No, no. I'm not letting you explain anything. You're acting like a fucking fanfiction version of yourself who's insane. Where the hell is my brother?"

Dream looks confused now. "What??"

I grumble, pulling Ink away from the ledge. "Stupid fucking dreamcatcher," I mumble, ignoring his expression.

"As much as I despise Ink and what he's done, I'm not fixating on the past, brother."

[Perspective swap]

I immediately get the hell out of Outertale, ignoring the twins looking at me. My breathing is shaky, and I feel my eyelights morphing quickly.

I end up in the AntiVoid out of sheer habit, collapsing to the ground, hyperventilating.

What the actual hell just happened?!

Dream tried to murder me?! What the fuck?!

I suddenly feel strings tie around me, pulling me off the ground. "What the hell, Ink. Stop hyperventilating in my AntiVoid."

I glare at him. "Wow, thanks Error, it's not like I not only almost fell into Outertale's Void, but I also nearly got stabbed. By _Dream_."

Error blinks, opening his mouth to question, but I respond first. "Don't even question why _Dream_ , of all people, nearly _killed_ me. I don't have an answer, and quite frankly, I don't want one right now."

Error lets me go, frowning. “Well, what do you want to do?” Huh? “We could go to Outertale, we could stay here and watch Mafiatale, we could do our creative outlets...”

A sense of guilt fills me. “Uh, Error, I don’t really-“ He sighs. “What? Are you still not used to me caring?”

I know you care, its just... you shouldn’t.

“You shouldn’t care about me, Error. I was soulless, I’m chaotic neutral at best, I’m not a great person at all, and-“

He interrupts me. “So what? I don’t care who or what you are, I still care, idiot.” Tears form in my eyes. “You shouldn’t.”

Error sighs. “Do you want me to spell it out to you? I lo-“

Dread washes over me. No, no, no - please...

Don’t say it.

You can’t love me.

I break a spare ink vial, interrupting him, jumping through the portal. I immediately change the password to the Doodlesphere, making sure that he can’t follow me.

Nobody should love me.

[Perspective swap]

He just... left.

Right as I...

Tears run down my face. For a moment I thought... he might love me back.

I was wrong.

My hands itched, begging for me to destroy. I need to destroy, I need it, I need to -

No.

I sigh, wiping my tears away.

Perhaps I was wrong, but that doesn’t mean that I have to cry about it, and it doesn’t mean that I have to destroy the entire damn multiverse.

I’m vaguely aware that if I was the same Error as before the XEvent, that I’d probably be screaming and crying right now. I also probably WOULD be destroying the entire multiverse.

...

_Goddamnit_ , Error. Of _course_ he wouldn’t love you back.

...

I sigh, sitting down.

Time to try and get over him.


	12. Chapter 12 - Stage 2 Has Almost Begun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter.

I woke up, my head throbbing in pain. What the hell...? I grumble, rubbing my eyes, trying to focus on where I am. 

A bottle of Balkan 176 Vodka lays on the ground, nearly completely empty.

Did I drink all of that? No wonder I have a hangover. Ugh, what even happened...?

Oh. Right. Ink left, and I can’t even find him. Trust me, I’ve tried every damn place in the multiverse, and the only place he could be would be in the Doodlesphere. But I can’t access the Doodlesphere anymore.

I sigh, crushing the bottle, ignoring the pain shooting up from my hand. Damnit. This is my fault, I shouldn’t have said that immediately after he was panicking.

-

Nightmare stares at me. “I have no words for you.” I grumble, thanks a lot. “You essentially made Ink force himself into hiding. Good luck trying to get him back, Error.”

-

Dream fiddles with his bow, ignoring me. “Dream. I said that-“ Dream sighs. “I don’t care. Get out.”

-

Swap looks a bit concerned. “Error, I’m sure it’ll be fine. He never locks himself away for that long.”

-

It’s been thousands of years. He hasn’t shown up again.

I’ve ended up having to become Indecorum again, trying to keep the Balance in check.

I’m so... lonely.

Lists of speeches litter my AntiVoid. I need... to make a speech. Yes, I need to make a speech. I need to give back to the inhabitants of AU’s.

What should I write, though...?

Hmm...

“There was once a Creator named Ink,” I say out loud, writing this down. “No, no, he wasn’t a true Creator, he didn’t create AU’s. He was a... Protector. As for me? I used to be known as something different.”

I pause. What next? What do I write next?

“You may know me as the Creator of all of you- no. Hmm. You may know Indecorum as the Creator of all of you, but back then, I was known as a Destroyer.”

I continue writing, coming up with a perfect speech.

I sigh. I miss Ink.

I teleport to the center of the multiverse - Undertale.

Time to begin.

-

[Perspective swap]

HMM. CURIOUS, YOU’VE ALL SEEN TO FORGOT I EXIST.

STAGE 2 HAS ALMOST BEGUN.

ENJOY THE SHOW... CREATORS.


	13. Chapter 13 - Stage Two Completed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t even understand what I just wrote.

I found myself in a crowd, for some reason. Odd. I thought I was supposed to be...

"I've called you all here today as a form of a thanks," a voice says, shrouding us in silence. "You see... once, there was a Creator named Ink. No, he was not a true Creator, as he did not truly create AU's. He was more of a... Protector.

As for me? I used to be known as something... different. You may know me now as the Creator of all of you. But back then?

I was known as the Destroyer of AU's."

I blink, tears forming in my eyesockets. No... that can't be him.

"Error?" I whisper.

Nobody hears me.

"In fact, I've probably destroyed each and every one of your homes, at some point. And today, I would like to..."

As he talks, I'm able to finally see him.

And there's a figure behind him...?

I look closer. It looks very familiar. Almost TOO familiar...

My body suddenly cold, I run through the crowd, ignoring everyone. "Error? Is that really you?" I ask, and this time I am heard. The crowd suddenly shuffling, I'm shown.

And that's when he stops talking.

"... Ink?" I hear him whisper. But right now, I'm more concerned about what's behind him.

-

[Perspective swap]

I see Ink walk up the stadium, pulling out his broken paintbrush. Confused, I look behind me.

Dream.

Dream grins, not looking... normal. That's a complete understatement, he looks like a complete mess. His clothing is torn, and his eyes are -

Purple?

Why are his eyes -

I'm thrown to the ground, my skull crashing against the ground. Saying ow would also be an understatement.

"Hi, Ink," Dream smiles, pinning me down. I glitch, the touch alone making me feel like I'm on fire, and I'm starting to hyperventilate.

"Let him go," I hear Ink say next to me. "Pfft, what do you think I am, artist, a being of positivity that'll just do whatever you want?" Dream snaps back.

I hiss as Dream digs into my shoulders with his phalanges. The crowd is starting to get anxious.

"Why in Toby Fox's name are your eyes purple?" I mutter, trying to get Dream off me (and failing).

Both Ink and Dream sigh.

"What??? I don't understand-"

I suddenly feel a presence behind me.

Ink screams, his eyelights morphing into white dots, pointing his paintbrush behind me. "Okay, THAT'S IT, I THOUGHT I KILLED YOU!"

"CLEARLY YOU DIDN'T DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB."

I recognize that voice way too clearly for a man who's supposed to be dead.

Dream roughly picks me up. "Time to finish what you started, Ink," the dreamcatcher smirks. I'm on the verge of a reboot, which will most likely end up making me way too easy to mortally wound.

[Overwrite.]

Suddenly we're in the Doodlesphere. This is very familiar...

My glasses falling off, I wait.

"Nothing? You aren't going to say anything?" Dream sighs. Ink mumbles under his breath, almost appearing to be panicking. As for XGaster, he's just watching.

"..."

Dream clicks his tongue, circling around me. "Annoying. We wouldn't be in this situation if a certain someone killed the right person."

"Oh, shut up, XGaster! Like I'd ever willingly want to kill Error!" Ink snaps, tears trailing down his face.

"What, do you have a crush on him?" Dream smirks. Ink flinches - clearly he's heard that before. "...I do not feel love, romantically or platonically," Ink says. "Love is... a foreign concept to me. Nothing... will change that..."

Ink hiccups, wiping his tears away. "I... don't..."

I look away.

Dream narrows his eyes. "You better not. Now... finish what you started."

[Overwrite.]

"Shut up," Ink says lowly. "You don't know how happy I am to finally get rid of you, stupid error."

I smile. Does he truly think that, or has he been manipulated to think that? Who knows.

But I'll finally be able to take a damn break.

"Goodbye," Ink says cheerfully.

And the illusion shatters, right as he's about to kill me.

"No," Ink mumbles, dropping his paintbrush. "No! I'm not going to kill him!"

[Overwrite.]

"Shut up," Ink says lowly. "You don't know how happy I am to finally get rid of you, stupid error."

I smile. Does he truly think that, or has he been manipulated to think that? Who knows.

But I'll finally be able to take a damn break.

"Goodbye," Ink says cheerfully.

Once again, the illusion shatters. "Stop it," Ink mumbles, his hand trembling as he drops his paintbrush. "I don't... want to..."

[Overwrite.]

"Shut up," Ink says lowly. "You don't know how happy I am to finally get rid of you, stupid error."

I smile. Does he truly think that, or has he been manipulated to think that? Who knows.

But I'll finally be able to take a damn break.

"Goodbye," Ink says cheerfully.

Ink falls to his knees. "Stop... it... I'm not going to... kill him. I'd rather die."

[Overwrite.]

"Shut up," Ink says lowly. "You don't know how happy I am to finally get rid of you, stupid error."

I smile. Does he truly think that, or has he been manipulated to think that? Who knows.

But I'll finally be able to take a damn break.

"Goodbye," Ink says cheerfully.

Instead of killing me, Ink takes out his - wait, Ink shouldn't have a soul.

"I don't... need you..." he whispers, smiling to himself.

The illusion shatters, XGaster about to Overwrite again, until -

Crack.

Ink...

I see XGaster fade into dust, Dream finally aware of what the hell happened.

"What the fuck just-"

Then he looks at Ink.

"Hah... Error? I guess I'm dying again? Haha..." Ink mumbles, falling to the ground. I race over there.

"You fucking moron," I snap. "You're dying. AGAIN. Do you not learn?!"

"Love you too?" Ink coughs, wiping away his weird ink blood marrow. I roll my eyelights. "Uhuh, yeah, sure you do. This time I am NOT crying over your death."

"Yeah I assumed you wouldn't- oh stars I think I'm actually dying-"

"Get up," I sigh, knowing he's faking. For one, he’s acting like a slight drama queen. "No, seriously, I think-" Ink coughs up more ink. Jeez. "... don't you have high tier regeneration?"

Ink glares at me. "Explain why I died the first time, then."

"Ahem. Sorry to interrupt your lovey dovey drama fest, but I kind of want to leave," Dream says. I ignore him, kicking Ink in the rib cage. "Get up."

Ink grumbles. "Fine! I won't die then!"

Ink stands up, his balance unsteady. “Hey Dream,” Ink says nonchalantly, like nothing bad just happened.

Dream narrows his eyes, then sighs. “As much as I dislike you, killing you is definitely not something I’d consciously consider.”

After he leaves, I look at Ink. “Thanks for not dying on me.”

“Thanks for caring if I died,” Ink shoots back. “Yeah, alright, sure.”

Ink sighs, turning to me.

“Well, after that traumatic experience, I might as well admit something.”

I blink, looking at him approach me.

Ink smiles slightly.

“I love you too.”


	14. Chapter 14 - An Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't the best novel ever, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. 
> 
> I hope you all like it as much as I did.

Considering how not long ago, Ink abandoned me when I was confessing to him, the fact that he'd say it back shocked me. "You... what?"

Ink blinks, his eyelights morphing into aqua dots. "... I love you?"

"I recall a certain someone saying that they can't feel love," I say teasingly. Thankfully, he picks up the joke. "Pfft, shuddup. I just told him that in the past so he could leave me alone."

I look at him. "What's next? He's dead, you somehow didn't die again, you aren't panicking..." Ink rolls his eyes, pushing me slightly. I barely glitch, my trust in him way more increased.

"Huh. Usually you'd scream at me about your haphephobia..." Ink states, curious. "Yeah, but I did start telling you that I love you, idiot. My trust in you is more than my fear of being touched."

"... why DO you have haphephobia?" Ink asks. I blink, not knowing the answer. "Maybe my past? Dunno."

"I know more about my past than you do," Ink pouts. "Have you ever felt love before, Error?”

A memory suddenly forces itself into my mind.

-

“So, have you ever felt love before?”

Reaper asks this. I laugh. “Nope. It’s kinda sad, honestly. I don’t think... I ever will.” Reaper frowns slightly. “Why do you think that?”

I touch my red scarf, covering my white clothes and my perpetually bleeding wound.

“For starters, Reaper... my entire world was destroyed by LOVE. Frisk... they...

Second, I’ve never had a crush.”

Reaper blinks, a small smile appearing on his face. “Care to try?”

“Eh? What’re you implying?” I ask, my face heating up slightly.

Reaper looks down. “Well... I may like you,” he mumbles, and I can barely hear him. “Oh.”

“... I can try.”

-

I snap out of it, on the ground suddenly. “... Error?” Ink says, his voice small.

“Eugh... my head... did I reboot?” I mumble to myself, my body glitching horribly. “Error? Are you okay?”

I laugh, mirthless. “Nope.”

Fuck. Was I actually Geno, or is my memory screwing up? No, I’m not Ink. Ugh...

“Well, uh, do you want to talk about it...?”

I...

“Well, I MIGHT have been Geno,” I snap at nobody in particular, standing up. “And I MIGHT have been in a fucking relationship. Ugh...”

Ink hugs me. “What happened...?”

“Never mind. It’s complicated, but I might need to chat with Death later.”

“Reaper? Oh my god, are you saying AfterDeath was canon?” Ink laughs softly. I nearly retort, losing my anger almost instantly. “... yeah.”

-

“HEY DEATH,” I snap, startling Reaper. “What, Error? What do you need?”

I glare at him. “For starters, I know a little something.”

Confused, he stares at me. I sigh. “Do you recall having a conversation with Geno!Sans about love?” Reaper narrows his eyes. “... I told him to never tell anybody, but yes, I do recall having that conversation. What about it?”

“What happened to him? Geno!Sans, I mean.”

Reaper’s eyes go black. “Why do you care?”

“Because I have important information. Please tell me, Reaper. I need to know what happened to him, before I tell you what I know.”

Sighing, tears forming in his eyesockets, he tells me.

“... Sans Classic found a way to get him out of the Void, at the beginning of the multiverse. So he lived with Sans Classic and Papyrus Classic, living happily.

Then he began... Determination experiments, despite everyone - including me - telling him to stop. Then he disappeared, soon replaced by a second Geno!Sans.”

My body glitching, I’m reminded of my origin, waking up in a white void, not knowing where I was. Hatred for people I’ve long forgotten consuming me as I went insane.

“I think... I just found out something that I should not know,” I admit. “What do you mean? Do you know what happened to the original Geno?” Reaper questions.

“My memories... I woke up in my AntiVoid, my clothes white with a slit in the shirt. I remember it clearly, confused about why I was there, slowly going insane. My body glitched, my mind corrupted, I began to hate people I’ve long forgotten the names of.

... as far as I know, I could be the original Geno,” I say quietly.

Reaper drops his pen. “... you... how did you know about that conversation, then?”

“Sometimes, past memories pop up, and I recall things long forgotten. Today, I remembered the conversation.”

“What now?” Death asks.

“... I no longer have any interest in dating you,” I admit. “I have interest in another. However, perhaps we can have a friendship?”

Reaper smiles. “That’ll be enough, Error.”

-

Going back to the Doodlesphere, where Ink is, I sigh.

That was interesting.

So I’m Geno...? The original Sans, killed by Frisk Classic?

Interesting. No wonder I hate humans.

“How was your chat with Death?” Ink asks. I smile slightly. “Interesting. I found out things about my past. But for now... I’d like to rest.”

Sitting down, Ink hugs me. I hug him back.

-

the end.


End file.
